Vietnam has a long history of war but most
people just think of the American Vietnam
war.

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in
1858 and it finally became part of colonial
French Indochina in 1887. (IndoChina = Vietnam,
Laos, and Cambodia) There are still French
colonial buildings to be seen in most large
towns.

The Japanese invaded during the second world
war, and were responsible for millions dying
mainly from starvation because the Japanese
cut them off and took all the food.

At the end of the war, under the rule of
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam declared independence.
But the French tried to get the country back
and started another war which lasted 9 years.
A year later the Americans got involved and took occupation in the south because
China and Russia started backing Ho Chi Minh
and the communists. Over 15million bombs,
artillery shells and other munitions fell
on Vietnam in this American/Vietnam war.

So between WWII and 1975, Vietnam was involved
in conflict against the Japanese, the French
and then the Americans.

And as you will remember the US evacuated
Vietnam in 1975, leaving the country to be
taken over by the communists. This
is when Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Ming City.
However, Ho Chi Ming never got to visit Saigon
as he died in 6 years earlier in 1969. It’s
interesting that the Vietnamese still refer
to it as Saigon.

Above is Ho Chi Ming’s Presidential
Palace but he spent his life living in his
Thai style house in the gardens below.

Over the last 10 years the country has opened
up, become less strict communist, and now
welcomes tourists and international trade.